ATTU Signs Agreement with Qatar’s Aspire Academy to Boost Player Development

Her Royal Highness Princess Zeina Rashid, Chairperson of the High-Performance Development Committee at the Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU), signed a cooperation agreement with Qatar's Aspire Academy in Doha on behalf of the union. The signing ceremony, according to Aspire's website, was attended by senior officials from the Asian and International Table Tennis Federations, including Khalil Al-Mohannadi, President of the ATTU and Vice President of the International Table Tennis Federation, as well as Raul Calin, Secretary-General of the International Table Tennis Federation. Princess Zeina, a former international table tennis player, praised Aspire Academy, particularly for its youth player development programs, and expressed optimism about the collaboration. She highlighted that this partnership aims to develop table tennis across Asia, utilizing Aspire's expertise as one of the world's leading sports academies. Princess Zeina noted the disparity in table tennis levels across Asia and stressed the federa tion's commitment to bridging this gap, which poses a significant challenge to the sport's growth. She emphasized that with the right blend of scientific approaches and training programs, countries that previously struggled to compete at high levels are now breaking into the top 20 of the global rankings. The collaboration's first step, according to Princess Zeina, will be the creation of an educational platform to help players improve their skills. She underscored the importance of education as the key to development, noting that the platform would be accessible to athletes, parents, and federation members. Once the necessary content is developed, the platform will facilitate joint workshops. She acknowledged the challenge of implementing such initiatives but emphasized that Aspire Academy's strategic position, world-class facilities, and renowned experts make it an ideal partner. Ali Salem Afifa, Deputy Director-General of Aspire Academy, stated that the ATTU chose to collaborate with Aspire to elevate the standards of table tennis across Asia. He added that the academy looks forward to seeing these joint efforts contribute to further advancements in the sport in Qatar and throughout the continent. Source: Jordan News Agency